Catalog
1 Cent - Pioneer New York, New York
| Issuer | Pioneer Supermarkets |
|---|---|
| Year | |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | 1 Cent |
| Currency | Log in to see details |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
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| Obverse description | White paper credit slip with a continuous interlaced Celtic-knot guilloche border enclosing the entire design. The denomination "1¢" is printed in large bold numerals at centre, flanked left and right by the Pioneer "Super P" logo vignette — a stylised letter P with the word SUPER above it, rendered in a shield-like cartouche. The text "PIONEER CREDIT SLIP" appears in bold letterpress above the denomination, with the control letters "MH" below it and a redemption restriction legend at the foot. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | REDEEMABLE FOR CASH 1 PIONEER 1 CREDIT SLIP 1₵ MH GOOD ONLY AT THE PIONEER STORE WHERE ISSUED |
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| Comments |
Pioneer Supermarkets operated a chain of grocery stores concentrated in New York City's working-class neighborhoods, and like many regional retailers in the mid-twentieth century, issued fractional paper scrip to handle change-making inefficiencies at the register. These small-denomination notes functioned as internal currency redeemable only at Pioneer locations — a closed-loop system that kept customers returning to the same stores.
Paper cent scrip of this type was never legal tender and had no value outside the issuing chain. Survival rates are low simply because nobody had a reason to save a 1-cent slip of paper.